From a logical and objective standpoint, there is nothing feministic about the Super Bowl. However, in recent years, it seems the NFL has become more amenable to opening its bulky arms up to the female population. With halftime acts that appeal directly to a “womanly” demographic, it’s evident the NFL is doing its best to draw in a slightly more multi-faceted audience.
Being that football is no longer intended to fit into the preconceived molded stereotype of beer-guzzling men who live in the South or Midwest, it makes perfect sense that this alteration in the accepted paradigm would occur. The strongest indication of the shifting Super Bowl viewer is the Halftime Show. A look at the past few years displays a veritable who’s who of female empowering performers that included Madonna, Beyonce/Destiny’s Child and Katy Perry with Missy Elliott.
And then there are the commercials. From Always pad advertisements to fear-instilling Nationwide commercials designed to hit at the mother’s jugular, it’s clear that both the NFL and advertisers alike are aware of the female clout in terms of buying and influencing. However, as the Super Bowl continues to evolve toward a more feminist slant (a gradual tilt that’s been happening since about 2000 when Christina Aguilera took the stage for one of the most blase Halftime Shows in the history of the game), the NFL risks losing its original intended viewer.
For the most part, the alpha male/frat boy tends to be repulsed, or at least offput, by feminist overtones present in their culture. And so, assuming the Super Bowl plans to continue its trend of one-upping itself with a strong vaginal presence each year, we may soon find that there are more female viewers of the spectacle than male ones–which would serve as the ultimate proof of total female world domination.